Cutting tool



May 21, 1940. K, MRTCHELL 2,201,142

CUTTING TOOL Filed March 27, 1939 I'IIIIIIIIIII A Patented May 21, 1940 CUTTING root.

Rudyard K. Mitchell, Lenders, Tcx., assignor of, fifty per cent to Louis F. Green, Albany, Tex.

' Application March 27, 19.39,. Serial No. 264,457

7 Claims. (01. 1 4-47).

This invention relates to cutting tools and more particularly to that type employed in severing cables formed 0t wire strands.

.It has. been found by long usage that unless some shield, guardor protective means is employed during the cutting operation in the progress, of manually severing a stranded wire cable, the operatoris exposed. or subjected to propelled sections. or particles of wire. That is to" say,

with the employment of the usual type of cold chisel upon the application of an initial blow the. chisel bites through or cuts several strands of' wire. The initial impression made on the cable, while it does. result in severing several ofthe. wires forming a part of the cable, is most usually of insufficient depth tov form a means to retain the cutting edge of the chisel in a predeterminedposition. This; therefore, results in the cutting edge of the chisel being shifted from its original position or spaced from the initially formed out, and upon a second blow or impact being applied to the chisel a'second cut is made into thecable. As will be understood, sections of wire between the first and second named cuts will be propelled in an upward direction toward the operators face. No reference is here being made to meansfor cutting cables at their source of manufacture for at such places especially designed power driven machines are employed which sever cable-0f all types in a single stroke or operation. The present invention is of primary interest and concern in the oil fields where strandedwire cables are employed in the process ofdrilling wells. It ofttimes becomes necessary to sever. cables. in the oil fields, and heretofore for that purposean'ordinary cold chisel has been employed which has resulted in the severe injury to. the operators, and it is of common knowledge that the sight of their eyes has been destroyed by reason of the previously mentioned propelled sections or particles of Wire. I

It is, therefore, an object of theinstant invention to provide, in a cable cutting tool or implement, means. for arresting or preventing several sections of Wire from being propelled beyond the confines of the implement.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in a. cable cutting instrument, of means for retaining the cutting edge thereof in a prcdeter mined or perpendicular relation to a cable to be severed. r

A further object of the invention is to provide means, in a cable cutting instrument, whereby a chisel portion thereof may be readily removed from an assembled structure for any purpose desired.

A still further object of the invention is the provision, in a cable cutting tool, of means whereby achisel portion thereof'may be free to move longitudinally ofthe. tool within certain predetermined limits and prevent. an. accidental or unwarranted separation of the chisel. fromthe associated structure.

These and numerous other objects of the invention will become apparent by referring to the accompanying drawing which. illustrates... in several views, an exemplification of the presentinvention and wherein: n

Figure 1 is an eleyational view of a cable cutting implement embodying, for the purpose of illustration, a form of the present invention.

Figure 2' is a horizontal: sectional view taken along the lines 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is avertical sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction'of the arrows, a portion thereof being shown invertical elevation to more clearly illustrate the invention. i

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional. view takenalong the lines 4-4 of Figure 1, lookingin thedirec tion of the arrows.

Referring now in detail. to the various figuresof' thedrawing', wherein like reference characters designate like parts, the numeral l indicates, generally, a cable cutting or severing: tool, implement or instrumentcwhich. is simple in 'con-- struction, inexpensive to manufacture, effective in its operation, made up of component parts,

may be easily tures' 3 of inverted U-shape in outlineor con figuration and opening toward the associated end of the housing. The apertures form a passageway for the reception or accommodation of a cable l ofthe spirally wound orstranded wire type, and by reason of this construction a length of the cable, determined by the horizontal extent of the housing, is positioned within the confines ofthe housing. The contour of the apertures is determined bythe size of the cable to be operated on so that the aperture defining portions .of the housing may engage the cable and thereby retain the, instrument ina ,fixed, predetermined position withrespect to thecable. As will be-noted. by referring particularlyv to Figure, 1. of the draws. ing, the cable is positioned to bearuponatop. surface 5, indicated diagrammatically, of; an anvilor other such device. (not, shown), andxthe height of the apertures is equal to the diameter of. the: cable. so that the. oneor; lower extremity of, the: housing: is in.v intimate contact. with the;

top surface to completely enclose a section of the cable and thereby arrest the propulsion of any wire particles beyond the confines of the housing. The configuration of the apertures may, as will be understood, be of any extent, and it is not the present intention to limit the contour of the apertures to a dimension which coincides with the cable to be operated on, for, in providing apertures so as to accommodate a given size of cable they may likewise accommodate a cable of lesser dimension or of different horizontal cross section.

Positioned intermediate the ends or height of the instrument is a bar 6, preferably of commercial form and circular cross section, which forms an operating or retaining handle for the convenience of the operator. The handle may, if found desirable, be cast integral with the housing but, in the illustrated form, comprises a securing, substantially U-shaped end portion 1 extending partially circumambient the housing and welded thereto, as-at 8, to thereby form a rigid, service- I able connection between the handle and housing Extending from one extremity of the end portion is a stem 9 which is directed in a substantially horizontal plane and which. terminates in a re entrant portion l0 which, with the particularly associated section of the stem, forms a substantially rectangular means whereby the handle may be firmly grasped by the operator and the movement of the instrument may be prevented.

Positioned within the housing and arranged for movement in a predetermined path or longi-. tudinal direction relative thereto is a cutting blade or cold chisel ll of a horizontal cross section substantially equal to the inner dimension of the housing so as to be guidingly received thereby. The cutting bladeis preferably of a length greater than the length of the housing, and for this reason the upper extremity of the blade extends beyond or is outwardly spaced from the associated end of the housing to present an unobstructed surface I2 for the reception of impacts or blows transmitted thereto by means of a hammer or any other suitable device (not shown). The other or lower extremity of the cutting blade is provided with inclined, sloping or tapered surfaces l3 which converge adjacent the associated end of the blade to present a cutting or severing edge l4 disposed transversely of the instrument and adapted to be moved in a vertical plane intermediate the housing apertures 3. The blade cutting edge is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the cable, and for this reason any forces imparted to the blade surface I2 will result in the cutting edge I4 passing through the cable at right angles thereto. As most clearly illustrated by Figure 4 of the drawing, it will be noted that, by reason of the tapered surface l3, sufiicient space is provided in the area immediately adjacent the cable to form pockets IS on either side of the cutting blade and within the housing to accommodate any particles, sections or lengths of wire which may be severed from the cable to prevent their interference with the continued, progressive movement of the cutting blade through the cable. 'The pocket defining portion of the housing will, as can be seen, arrest movement of any severed particles of wire beyond the confines of the housing, and by reason of this construction the operators eyes will not be exposed or subjected to any flying particles of wire.

In order to retain the cutting edge Id of the blade orchiselin apredetermined relation with respect to the subjacent cable as well as prevent the accidental or unwarranted separation of the chisel and the housing, an elongated channelshaped recess or relief l6 opening toward the outer surface of the chisel is formed in the blade intermediate the height thereof. Aligned with the relief 16 andof substantially the same width, but of lesser height or extent, is an elongated orifice or opening ll provided in the housing adjacent its upper extremity.

Arranged in a position spaced a suitable distance above the handle and below the housing orifice I! is a pair of counterpart, substantially angle-shaped, straps or clips [8 which may, as desired, also be cast integralwith the housing or, as illustrated, formed as separate bars or elements. The straps each comprise an arcuately formed leg l9 bent to conform to the outer contour of the housing and rigidly secured thereto by welds 20 or any other suitable method. The strap legs merge into outwardly directed, horizontal ears or lugs 2| which have aligned apertures 22 therein for the purpose to be hereinafter explained, and the space therebetween is in alignment with the housing orifice and chisel recess.

Positioned between the strap ears is a latch, dog or lever 23 pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the housing by means of a transversely extending pintle 24 projecting through the lever and having end portions thereof positioned in or occupying the strap ear apertures 22; the extreme ends of the pintle may be peaned over (not shown) to prevent its accidental displacement.

The upper extremity of the latch is angularly disposed or directed inwardly toward the housing to present a finger or extension 25 which passes through the housing orifice and is positioned within or occupies the chisel relief. The chisel recess is of a width merely slightly greater than the thickness of the lever finger for the accommodation thereof, and for this reason the chisel is prevented from rotative movement or movement in an axial direction with respect to the housing particularly during the process of severing a cable, at which timea constant relation between the cutting edge Id and the cable should be maintained. It will be noted that the recess end defining portions of the cutting blade are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the implement so as to present shoulders 26 adapted to be engaged by the latch extension to thereby retain the chisel and housing in an assembled predetermined relation.

In order to retain the latch finger within the chisel recess, resilient means is interposed between the housing and latch below the plane of the hinging pintle 24. In the present illustrative form of the invention a transversely extending and acting compression or coil spring 27 is positioned below the plane of the hinging pintle 24 to urge the associated end 23 of the lever away from the housing and retain the lever finger in chisel engaging position. The coil spring has, associated with one end' thereof, an annular member or ring 28 extending circumambient the spring end and secured to the housing by any desired. method. The annular member presents an outwardly facing, cup-shaped receptacle 29 for the accommodation of the associated end of the coil spring. Extending toward, but suitably spaced from, the annular member is a spud, prong or convolution 30 formed integrally with the latch and extending into the coil spring to form a retaining means or seat therefor.

When it is desired to remove the chisel from the housing, the lower extremity 23 of the lever is urged inwardly toward the housing which will retract the latch finger from the chisel recess, and the withdrawal of the chisel may be then. effected.

Many changes and alterations may be made to the described and illustrated structure without departing from within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a cable severing implement, in combination, a tubular housing having a handle attached thereto and extending horizontally therefrom,

an orifice in said housing intermediate the ends thereof, aligned inverted U-shaped apertures at one end of said housing for the accommodation of a stranded wire cable, cutting means positioned in and movable longitudinally with respect to said housing, a longitudinally extending recess in said cutting means, retaining means pivotally secured to said housing having a portion thereof extending through said orifice and positioned within said recess for preventing axial movement of said cutting means, said cutting means, adjacent said apertured end of said housing, having inclined surfaces converging toward the associated end of said cutting means to form a cutting edge adapted to be positioned in intimate contact with said cable and providing pockets for the reception of severed portions of said cable to arrest their movement outwardly of said housing.

2. In a cable severing implement, in combination, a tubular housing having a handle attached thereto and extending therefrom, aligned inverted U-shaped apertures in said housing adjacent an end thereof, a cable positioned in said apertures and extending through said housing, the aperture defining portion of said housing bearing against said cable to prevent relative movement between said housing and cable, means positioned within said housing being formed on one end with tapered surfaces presenting a cutting edge perpendicularly disposed to said cable and having another end thereof positioned outwardly of the housing for the reception of impacts, pockets formed in said implement defined by said housing and tapered surfaces for the reception of particles severed from said cable, and pivotal means associated with said housing and first-named means for guiding said first-named means and retaining said cutting edge in a predetermined position.

3. In a cable severing implement, in combination, a tubular housing, aligned inverted U-shaped apertures in said housing at an end thereof adapted to accommodate a wire cable, a chisel movable longitudinally of and positioned within said housing, a cutting edge on said chisel perpendicularly disposed to and adapted to bear upon said cable, a portion of said chisel extending outwardly of said housing presenting a surface for the reception of impacts, a longitudinal recess in said chisel, an orifice in said housing of lesser extent than and in alignment with said recess, and means pivotally secured to said housing having a portion extending through said orifice and into said recess to prevent an axial movement of said chisel.

4. In a cable severing implement, in combination, a tubular housing, aligned inverted U-shaped apertures in said housing adjacent an end thereof adapted to accommodate a wire cable, a chisel movable longitudinally of and positioned within said housing, a cutting edge on i said chisel perpendicularly disposed to and adapted to bear upon said cable, a portion of said chisel extending outwardly of said housing presenting a surface for the reception of impacts, a longitudinal recess in said chisel, an orifice in said housing of lesser extent than and in alignment with said recess, means pivotally secured to said housing having a finger extending through said orifice and into said recess to prevent an axial movement of said chisel, and spring means associated with said means and housing for retaining said finger in chisel engaging position.

5. In a cable severing implement, in combination, a tubular housing having aligned apertures at one end thereof for the accommodation of a cable adapted to extend through said housing, a chisel having one end thereof bearing against said cable and provided with tapered surfaces converging toward said cable to present a cutting edge, another end of said chisel extending outwardly of said housing for the reception of impacts, means associated with said chisel for retaining said cutting edge disposed in a predetermined position; said tapered surfaces and associated portion of said housing forming pockets for the reception and arrest of severed particles of said cable, and resilient means associated with said first named means for preventing accidental displacement of the latter.

6. In a cable severing implement, in combination, a tubular housing having aligned inverted U-shaped apertures adjacent one end thereof for the reception of a cable adapted to extend therethrough, the aperture defining portions of said housing being in intimate contact with said cable so as to prevent relative movement between said housing and cable, a chisel guidingly positioned within and adapted to move relative to said housing, a cutting edge on said chisel adapted to bear against said cable and move in a plane perpendicular thereto, and movable means pivotally secured to said housing and engaging said chisel for arresting a rotative movement of said chisel with respect to said housing.

'7. In a cable severing implement, in combination, a tubular housing having aligned inverted U-shaped apertures adjacent one end thereof for the reception of a cable adapted to have a section thereof encased by said housing, a chisel movable with respect to and positioned within said housing, a cutting edge on said chisel adapted to bear against said cable, a longitudinally extending recess "in said chisel opening toward said housing, an orifice in said housing in substantial alignment with said recess, transversely spaced lugs secured to said housing below said orifice, a lever interposed between and pivotally connected to said lugs, a finger formed on one end of said lever normally extending through said orifice and into said recess to prevent an axial movement of said chisel, and spring means positioned below said lugs reacting against said housing and an end of said lever removed from said finger to retain said finger in chisel engag- 

